Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian former pole vaulter. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a three-time World Champion, the current world record holder in the event, and is widely considered the greatest female pole-vaulter of all time. Isinbayeva was banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics after revelations of an extensive state-sponsored doping programme in Russia, thus dashing her hopes of a grand retirement winning the Olympic gold medal. She retired from athletics in August 2016 after being elected to serve an 8-year term on the IOC's Athletes' Commission.
Stacy Renée Mikaelson known as Stacy Renée Dragila is a former American pole vaulter. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a multiple-time world champion.
Santhi Soundarajan is a track and field athlete from Tamil Nadu, India. She is the winner of 12 international medals for India and around 50 medals for her home state of Tamil Nadu. Shanthi Soundarajan is the first Tamil woman to win a medal at the Asian Games. She competes in middle distance track events. She was stripped of a silver medal won at the 2006 Asian Games after failing a sex verification test which disputed her eligibility to participate in the women's competition.
Li Ling is a Chinese athlete, who specialises in the pole vault.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
This article contains an overview of the year 2009 in athletics.
Holly Bethan Bradshaw is an English track and field athlete who specialises in the pole vault. She used to be the British record holder in the event indoors and outdoors, with clearances of 4.87 metres and 4.90 metres. Bradshaw won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won bronze at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, gold at the 2013 European Indoor Championships, bronze at the 2018 European Championships, and silver at the 2019 European Indoor Championships. She also won at the 2018 Athletics World Cup. Coached by Scott Simpson, she has been consistently ranked among the world's best and has been ranked in the world top ten on the Track and Field News merit rankings four times.
Kumaravel Premkumar is an Indian long jumper from Tamil Nadu. He is the national record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor long jump. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and a silver at the 2013 Asian Athletics Championships.
Wu Shuijiao is a female Chinese track and field athlete who competes in hurdling. Her personal best for the 100 metres hurdles is 12.93 seconds, set in 2013. Wu was the Chinese champion in the event in 2012 and 2013.
Alysha Eveline Newman is a Canadian track and field athlete who specializes in the pole vault. She competed at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. Newman was the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion in the women's pole vault, where she set a new Games record of 4.75 metres (15.6 ft).
Anitha Pauldurai is an Indian basketball player who has been the captain of the India women's national basketball team. She has been conferred with National Civilian Award Padma Shri in 2021. She has been also conferred with Chief Minister State award in the field of sports by Government of Tamilnadu in 2013.
Wilma Anna Helena Murto is a Finnish pole vaulter. She won the gold medal at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich with a jump of 4.85 m, equalling the championships record and setting a new Finnish record. Murto also claimed victory at the 2023 European Indoor Championships, making her the first Finnish woman in history to win gold at these championships.
Kathryn Elizabeth Moon is an American pole vaulter. She won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships, and a silver at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Moon was also 2019 Pan American Games silver medalist.
Molly Caudery is a British athlete who competes in the pole vault event for England and Great Britain. Caudery is the 2024 World Indoor champion. She was also a silver medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and took bronze at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
Khelo India University Game is a national level multi-sport event held in India, where athletes from universities across the country compete in different sports disciplines. The inaugural edition held in Odisha started on 22 February and concluded on 1 March 2020. It is organised by Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports along with Association of Indian Universities, Indian Olympic Association and National Sports Federation. It is the largest university level sports competition in India.
Ankita Dhyani is an Indian athlete from Uttarakhand. She is a middle-distance and long-distance runner. She is named in the Indian athletics team for the 5000m event in the 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. She qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games at Paris and will represent India in the women's 5000m event.
Sheena Nellickal Varkey, or N.V. Sheena, is an Indian athlete from Kerala. She competes in triple jump event. She is named in the Indian athletics team for the women's triple jump event for the 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. She won a silver medal at the Asian Indoor Championships in 2018.
Mariyammal Balamurugan is an Indian professional footballer from Tamil Nadu, who plays as a midfielder for East Bengal in the Indian Women's League and the India women's national football team. She has also played for Sethu FC and Kickstart.
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